OU: Strategy Pokemon of the Week - Rotom-Wash

[Uralya]

Pokemon of the Week #19: Landorus-Therian

Landorus-Therian

written by Uralya

Base Stats

89/145/90/105/80/91​

Landorus-T is a poster child of the sixth generation metagame, having grown into a Pokemon with many key roles to establish itself on teams. It enjoys solid coverage in the EdgeQuake combo, has a nice defensive typing, possesses beautiful physical bulk with its ability Intimidate, and has a dearth of utility options, like Knock Off, U-turn, and Stealth Rock. Landorus-T is also no slouch offensively, with base 145 Attack and a solid speed of 91 to put it above many other defensive staples. Despite having vulnerabilities on the special side and lacking a good recovery option, it has more than enough upside to offset them and only looks to continue basking in the glory of OU.

Choice Scarf

Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Superpower / Knock Off / Explosion
​

Landorus-T can pull off a fearsome Choice Scarf set, with a nice all-around combination of bulk, speed and power to take on many of OU's top threats. Earthquake provides Landorus-T's lone STAB, a very powerful move thanks to maximized attack power, and it is complimented by Stone Edge's welcome coverage, which covers threats like Thundurus and Talonflame. Next, U-turn gives Landorus-T the ability to provide momentum for its team and scout out critical moves. In the last slot, Superpower is a nice option for Pokemon like Mega Gyarados, Tyranitar, and a few Air Balloon holders. Alternatively, Knock Off is a useful disruption move that can also cover Latios, Latias and Gengar, and Explosion can make a dent in almost anything if necessary. Landorus-T's EV spread is standard save that it only runs enough speed to handle +1 Mega Charizard X while boosting its bulk.

Defensive Pivot

Landorus-T @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge / Knock Off / Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
​

Landorus-T's other prominent set is the quintessential physically defensive pivot, which can handle many of the metagame's biggest offensive threats. It has access to the valuable Stealth Rock, so such is guaranteed to garner a spot unless it is already covered - ideally though, Landorus-T is one of its best users. Earthquake and Stone Edge return as Landorus-T's coverage options, and as does U-turn to give it its pivot identity. Stone Edge can, however, be again substituted with Knock Off or Rock Slide, the latter of which is a less powerful but more accurate option. This set's spread aims to be as physically bulky as possible while also hitting two important benchmarks: 8 EVs in Speed takes care of Modest Magnezone, and the same investment in Special Defense allows it to survive an HP Ice from Mega Manectric with Stealth Rocks in the equation.

Double Dance

Landorus-T @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 56 HP / 220 Atk / 232 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Rock Polish
​

One of Landorus-T's lesser-used sets is its Double Dance one, which combines the ability to break through walls via Swords Dance with that of speeding through offensive teams with Rock Polish - the successful use of both is indeed frightening. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB move again, and Stone Edge joins it in the final slot to cover Flying-types and Levitators, although Knock Off is a potential alternative. The EV spread is used to outspeed Adamant Excadrill in the sand and endure a 2HKO from its Iron Head with a Life Orb, though other spreads are viable: 132 HP / 56 Atk / 216 Def / 104 Spe with an Adamant nature provides more bulk, hits a Leftovers number and outspeeds Adamant Bisharp and Jolly Tyranitar in particular. Other items include a Life Orb, which allows Landorus-T to OHKO Rotom-W after a Swords Dance boost and Stealh Rock damage, and Soft Sand is a good option to break through walls without sacrificing HP.

Discuss!

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week #19: Landorus-Therian

A little tech I've been using recently is 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe Naive on the Scarf set with HP Ice in the fourth slot to kill other Scarf Landorus-T's. With a lot of Scarf sets not running maximum speed (only running enough typically for Adamant Charizard-X), a max speed HP Ice does a solid job of dispatching them. This can help clear the way for your set-up sweepers who are vulnerable to Landorus-T (like Charizard-X).

4 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 220-260 (68.9 - 81.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock (same basic result with 24 HP Landorus-T)

As you can see, some chip damage and/or 2-3 SR switch-ins lower it into KO range. There isn't much utility being sacrificed for HP Ice's usage, so why not give it a try?

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Landorus-T

Lopunny

written by Uralya

Base Stats

65/76/84/54/96/105

65/136/94/54/96/135 (Mega)​

Another of those "zero-to-hero" Pokemon that this generation has been generous to, Lopunny is one of the greatest offensive threats in the ORAS metagame. Its Mega Evolution blessed it with a Fighting-typing, Scrappy to augment its STAB moves and provide perfect coverage, and increases in Attack and Speed that lend it a lot of power and the ability to outspeed almost all of the unboosted metagame. Additionally, Lopunny's expansive utility movepool is just icing on the cake for one of the best stardom campaigns of this generation. It does find itself walled by defensive teams in most cases and can wear down quickly, but Lopunny's strengths greatly outweigh that.

Fake Out Attacker

Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick / Drain Punch
- Return
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch / Healing Wish
​

As Lopunny's best option given the prevalence of offensive teams, this set aims to hit fast and hard with little room for play. High Jump Kick and Return are essentially mandatory STAB moves for each of its sets, given perfect coverage bar Shedinja thanks to its Scrappy ability. Fake Out gives the set its main additional role, acting as a good move to spam against offensive teams for chip damage and making sure it isn't a sitting duck in the faces of faster opponents. The last slot is a toss-up between utility roles - only caring about offensive teams gives Ice Punch more merit as a tool to break through Landorus-T and Dragon-types that are 4x weak to it, while Healing Wish gives you the ability to heal anything for free once Lopunny does its job. Additional options include Substitute to take advantage of forced switchs and combat bulkier teams, Facade for another way of dealing with status, and Heal Bell to cure the whole team. Drain Punch is also a consideration over High Jump Kick for longevity and accuracy but is not as viable overall due to Lopunny's need for power. The spread allows Lopunny the speed and power it covets, though, with Greninja departed to Ubers, Adamant is a viable option that can help beat Landorus-T variants with Ice Punch more reliably.

Substitute

Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick / Drain Punch
- Return
- Substitute
- Baton Pass / Encore / Ice Punch
​

This version is Lopunny's best set to combat balanced teams, another ubiquitous presence in the metagame. Like before, Lopunny is afforded perfect coverage with its first two moves, so the cruxes of the set rest in the other two slots. Substitute is key to playing around status and taking advantage of defensive Pokemon, switches, Protect, and more. The fourth option varies based on needs as with the Fake Out set. Baton Pass is a great tool for keeping momentum up that can even pass over a Substitute, Encore punishes idle defensive Pokemon so that Lopunny can set up Substitutes more easily on them, and Ice Punch dismantles Landorus-T and Garchomp as with its other sets. For other options, Drain Punch has greater merit over High Jump Kick this time due to removing the limit on Substitutes that Lopunny can set up, Toxic can further disrupt defensive Pokemon like Landorus-T and Slowbro, and Endeavor and Flail can take advantage of abusing Substitute once low on health. The set's spread is largely the same as before except with 4 EVs in HP in order to possibly have enough HP for four Substitutes, and an Adamant nature is again viable now.

Discuss!

 

[Pride]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Lopunny

Power Up Punch is also an option for Lopunny, giving it a chance to break through more defensive teams if it can either hide behind a substitute or encore a passive attack. Lopunny is great though, Fake Out is excellent chip damage against Offensive teams setting them up for ohko attacks later in the match as a cleaner.

 

[Chaos Jackal]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Lopunny

I agree, Power-Up Punch is a great option against stall and defensively oriented teams in general. If Lopunny has a flaw, it is its lack of raw power compared to other Megas, which might prevent it from functioning as effectively against Pokemon with high defenses. Power-Up fixes that problem, if combined with the appropriate move to take care of healing or status inflicting moves.

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Lopunny

Power Up Punch is also an option for Lopunny, giving it a chance to break through more defensive teams if it can either hide behind a substitute or encore a passive attack. Lopunny is great though, Fake Out is excellent chip damage against Offensive teams setting them up for ohko attacks later in the match as a cleaner.

Such is true. There's a recent trend with the Encore/PuP set right now because it is a threat to virtually every playstyle, with perfect coverage, amazing speed, defensive punishers, and sufficient attack power. While not the hardest hitter in the game, this is a pretty versatile set that always pulls its weight.

How do you feel about this variant compared to say the Sub and Fake Out sets though (everyone)?

 

[Chaos Jackal]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Lopunny

I personally like the Fake Out sets more, but that stems from my tendency to break stuff. PuP and Encore shenanigans don't sit well with me, I'd rather just kick my way through the opposition. That apart though, such a set is certainly threatening and difficult to deal with. I wouldn't say it is a threat to every playstyle, as it is rather weak at the beginning and Lopunny is not exactly a wall, but it's definitely something to watch out for.

 

[Professor Palutena]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Lopunny

Mega Bunny is easily my favorite of the new ORAS megas. It's incredibly effective at breaking down walls and I think it's fair to call it the face of ORAS OU Offense (with its only competitor being MegaGross).

I love the Substitute set. It brings a ton of flexibility to an already flexible Pokemon. Sub+Drain Punch is a favorite of mine due to it keeping Bunny around for a lot longer. Sub+Encore and Sub+PuP turn Bunny into an incredible stallbreaker and it's the reason I prefer it to MegaGross on offensive teams (beating Mega Sableye is huge considering it's the face of stall teams).

My favorite teammates for Bunny are OU's other bunnies: Azumarill and Diggersby. Triple Bunny offense is an incredible offensive core, much like XY's Bird Spam core. Two bunnies take on the roles of wallbreakers (Usually Mega Bunny and Azu due to Diggersby having Swords Dance, but Belly Drum Azumarill or SubPup Bunny can replace it) and they smash down the walls until the sweeper bunny can clean house. It's so simple but so effective. To put icing on the cake, each member possesses some form of priority (Aqua Jet, Fake Out and Quick Attack).

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Lopunny

Azumarill

written by Uralya

Base Stats

100/50/80/60/80/50​

A decent Pokemon in previous generations, Azumarill gained true recognition with the advent of the sixth generation and the addition of its Fairy typing. Azumarill's coverage, ability and bulk are a great combination - it boasts a stunning base 150 attack alongside Aqua Jet, dual STABs and coverage moves like Knock Off and Superpower and can handle many of OU's Dragon-types effectively. Despite predictability, coverage issues and low Speed, the rabbit has definitely left its mark in the metagame.

Choice Band

Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off / Superpower
- Waterfall
​

Though Azumarill's sets are all similar in composition, they tend to serve different roles. This one is a wallbreaker that also has the ability to clean up late in the game via priority. Aqua Jet, Waterfall and Play Rough make up its STAB moves, among them a priority move powerful enough to OHKO Excadrill and two others with great neutral coverage. The final slot features a choice between Knock Off and Superpower, the former removing items and obtaining key hits on Psychic-types and Gengar and the latter covering Steel-types like Ferrothorn. Double Edge is another option for hitting Venusaur and its crony, Amoonguss. The EV spread given outspeeds Pokemon with base 60 Speed like Sylveon and Clefable; 8 Speed EVs can be allocated from HP to get the jump on support Tyranitar, and 164 covers the base 70 Speed tier.

Tummy Drummy

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Belly Drum
​

Arguably Azumarill's scariest set, its use of Belly Drum enables it to sweep many given the right openings and damage to the opposing team by trading bulk for phenomenal power. Aqua Jet is especially important to this set, as it compensates for Azumarill's low Speed stat. Play Rough is ideal for use on slower Pokemon because of its obscene strength after a boost, and Knock Off takes care of anything its STAB moves do not, even OHKOing Pokemon like Ferrothorn. The EV spread outspeeds base 70 Pokemon like Skarmory and slower Pokemon like Tyranitar and Clefable, and a Sitrus Berry combined with the even HP stat that 92 EVs give allows Azumarill to gain a quarter of its health back after using Belly Drum.

Assault Vest

Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off / Superpower
- Waterfall
​

Albeit a powerful attacker in its own right, Assault Vest Azumarill has the added functions of acting as a check to special attackers and a pivot that can steal momentum from various Dragon-, Fighting- and Ground-types, among others. The moves on this set are assembled for the exact same reasons as on the Choice Band set, with the familiar triad of STAB moves and the choice of Knock Off and Superpower to handle respective threats. The EV spread coupled with the Assault Vest maximizes its overall bulk with a lean toward Special Defense - the HP investment is also enough to survive four hits of Seismic Toss. A spread that switches HP and Special Defense investments is plausible but hurts Azumarill's physical bulk greatly.

Discuss!

 

[PhantomHaze]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Azumarill

For the most part I either see Bully Drum or AV. Bully Drum is one of the scariest sets in OU imo. It was the power to sweep out right and is a force to be reckoned with. It received an amazing gift in playrough and Fairy typing, increasing its bulk. Early in XY OU I mostly saw CB Zum but that is less common from what I battle against!

 

[Professor Palutena]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Azumarill

Oh look another bunny!

Legal Belly Drum + Aqua Jet + Knock Off has turned Azumarill into a monster. It's so hard to survive a hit against. Standard Ferro is OHKOed by Knock Off after Stealth Rock (does 97.5% minimum). Play Rough does 84.7% minimum to Mega Slowbro. If it sets up the Belly Drum something is going to die.

This set alone is why I believe it's so important to pack at least one fast Water resist with a super effective attack (By fast, I mean faster than Azumarill so it's not hard) on a team. +6 Aqua Jet can sweep teams and forcing Azumarill to use Play Rough or Knock Off is what needs to happen in order to take it down. Azumarill cries manly tears if it has to be switched out because it often can't Belly Drum again. My personal suggestions are HP Grass/Electric Keldeo, a fast enough Chesnaught, Serperior and Thunderbolt Latios (though I recommend this one the least because I've seen a lot of Azumarills with a Bisharp or Tyranitar partner and Pursuit makes Latios cry).

 

[Chaos Jackal]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Azumarill

Raikou

written by Chaos Jackal and Uralya

Base Stats

90/85/75/115/100/115​

At first glance, Raikou seems kinda lacking for an OU Pokemon. Indeed, in Gen V and the beginnings of Gen VI Raikou was a generally lackluster choice; its Speed was its only impressive attribute and its power was nothing to write home about compared to the monsters it competes with for a spot in a team. Raikou's niche, however, lies in its typing and ability. In a metagame with many Flying and Elctric-type threats, Raikou found a chance to shine. While still held back by its lack of raw power, its functions as a check or counter to the aforementioned threats and its ability to function as offensive glue are undeniable and have earned it a rightful spot in the OU metagame.

Special Attacker

Raikou @ Assault Vest / Choice Specs
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Shadow Ball / Extrasensory
​

Raikou can function as a solid alternative to Mega Manectric should the team need a different Mega; while not as powerful or fast, 115 Speed is nothing to scoff at and Raikou's bulk is significantly higher than Mega Manectric's. Should power become a major issue, though, Raikou can run Choice Specs to boost its attacks to a level higher than Mega Manectric's, at the cost of being locked in one move. Otherwise, Raikou can easily run an Assault Vest set to emphasize its role as the primary check of threats like Thundurus-I and Flying-type attackers (Talonflame, Pinsir, Staraptor) by providing a notable increase in bulk. No matter the item choice, the moveset remains more or less the same. Volt Switch provides much needed momentum and synergizes especially well with Choice Specs, while Thunderbolt provides a more powerful STAB option. Hidden Power Ice creates a pseudo BoltBeam combination and is the primary tool to dispatch popular Ground-types that are immune to Electric, namely Garchomp, Gliscor and Landorus as well as being the best option against most other Dragon-types. The last slot depends on the team. Shadow Ball scores the 2HKO against Latios and is the more popular option, but Extrasensory is a viable alternative if the team has problems with Mega Venusaur. With the introduction of Contrary Serperior, the old spread running 32 Special Defense and enough Speed for Thundurus-I is no longer viable, so all EVs have been moved to Speed for maximum efficiency, since running less Special Defense is not optimal.

Discuss!

 

[Professor Palutena]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Raikou

I really don't think Raikou is that great of a Flying type check considering that Jolly Talonflame is now the preferred set as it outspeeds Raikou and CB Flare Blitz can OHKO after Stealth Rock.

252 Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Raikou: 271-319 (84.4 - 99.3%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

I guess you could use it for Mega Pinsir as long as you watch out for Earthquake, Return or Close Combat (all 2HKO at +0 and can OHKO at +2). I'd much rather use the Assault Vest set for guys like Manaphy, Tornadus-T, Rotom-W and Mega Slowbro.

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Bisharp

Bisharp

written by Uralya

Base Stats

65/125/100/60/70/70​

Following a lackluster stint in the lower tiers during its inaugural generation, Bisharp became an overnight sensation with XY and continues to be a top-tier threat in ORAS. Boasting solid typing, a base 125 Attack, a great ability in Defiant, and access to many offensive staples for its moveset allows it to be a facet of many offensive teams. Despite a glaring weakness to Fighting-type moves and a periodical reliance on Sucker Punch, Bisharp's tools are quite advantageous to a smart player.

Power Ranger

Bisharp @ Life Orb / BlackGlasses / Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature / Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance / Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
​

Bisharp's most common variant shines on highly offensive teams, though its variants as a whole do not differ much. With a fully offensive EV spread and Swords Dance, Bisharp can function as a fearsome late-game sweeper or mid-game wallbreaker - access to Defiant can further this offensive pressure by granting a Swords Dance on the switch against Pokemon like Latias. Alternatively, the use of Pursuit is just as viable, letting Bisharp trap and eliminate several top threats like Latias, Latios and Gengar. In terms of Bisharp's staple moves, Knock Off and Iron Head form its primary and secondary STAB moves, with Knock Off taking out opponent's items and Iron Head destroying Fairies that resist it; Iron Head is also better for Mega Evolutions due to the lack of a power increase with Knock Off. Sucker Punch is a great move to round things off, compensating for Bisharp's mediocre speed by dealing swiftly with many of the frailer offensive threats, though it is predictable and not to be used mindlessly. In terms of set aspects, when using Swords Dance, a Jolly nature with maximized Speed is preferred to get the jump on Pokemon like Landorus-T, Altaria, Rotom-W, and Gyarados, though Adamant is perfectly fine should none of these benchmarks be necessary - Adamant also has the benefit of landing an OHKO on offensive Landorus-T after Stealth Rock. With Pursuit, a spread of 252 Atk / 52 SpD / 204 Spe with an Adamant nature is recommended, as this allows Bisharp to endure an HP Fire from Life Orb Latios after Stealth Rock, but a Jolly 204 Atk / 52 SpD / 252 Spe is also an option for hitting the aforementioned benchmarks. With items, a Life Orb is best paired with Swords Dance and BlackGlasses with Pursuit to respectively get key KOs and keep switch-in potential. A Lum Berry also is handy on Swords Dance sets to deal with Scald users.

Assault Vest

Bisharp @ Assault Vest
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 192 HP / 220 Atk / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
​

This Bisharp is slightly less offensive, instead gearing up with an Assault Vest to handle threats like Latias, Latios, Gengar and Fairy-types more easily. Bisharp's move serve all of the functions that they do on the above set with the exception that Pursuit is much more viable here due to the ease with which this Bisharp can perform its trapping abilities. With this EV spread, an Attack stat jump point is reached and enough Speed is invested to outrun maximum Speed Azumarill, with the rest being deposited into HP for overall bulk. Alternatively, a fully offensive spread of 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe with a Jolly nature can be used, and it has the added benefit of enough special bulk to take two successive hits from Life Orb Latios' Draco Meteor, allowing Bisharp to check and eliminate it soundly.

Discuss!
---
On a side note, since schoolwork may leave me unable to finish writing these on weekdays, I will return to weekends for both weekly discussions.

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Landorus

Landorus

written by Uralya

Base Stats

89/125/90/115/80/101​

A glimpse at Landorus shows solid bulk, a speed that trolls several prominent Pokemon, physically based offenses and coverage leaning toward that end of the spectrum, with options like Earthquake and Stone Edge. Such was the case for Landorus early on and would be now if it weren't for the hidden gem that is its Special Attack. With astounding neutral coverage and deceptively high power granted by Life Orb and Sheer Force, the titan is among the very best Pokemon in the OU metagame. On top of self-sufficiency, Landorus' plethora of support options and ease of forming offensive cores make it one that will, regardless of what it wants to do, always get your team results.

Special Attacker

Landorus @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature / Naive Nature
- Earth Power
- Psychic
- Focus Blast / Sludge Wave
- Sludge Wave / Knock Off / Calm Mind / Stealth Rock
​

Landorus' most prevalent and effective set is essentially the peak of its special coverage with some utility thrown in - bread-and-butter if you will. Earth Power is stupidly powerful after the many boosts that Landorus has, a STAB move strong enough to 2HKO many neutral Pokemon. Psychic covers bulky Grass-types like Venusaur and Amoonguss in addition to Conkeldurr, Zapdos and Rotom-W, the latter two of which are handled should Landorus forego Sludge Wave. Focus Blast fells Tyranitar and is the best option for breaking through Skarmory and Chansey. In the last slot, Sludge Wave is a favorite for taking out Fairy-types on the switch, though it can just as easily be left off or replace Focus Blast to allow other options - viable ones include Knock Off (with a Naive nature) for crippling Chansey, Calm Mind for manhandling slower teams and tanking random Hidden Power Ices, and Stealth Rock should no other carrier of the move be available. Lesser-used ones include Rock Slide (Naive nature) in order to OHKO Mega Charizard-Y, U-turn for momentum at the cost of coverage, and Rock Polish for tearing through unprepared offensive teams. The EV spread is simply oriented towards maximum speed and power, though a 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe Modest set can be used if the Charizard formes are covered by teammates or if Rock Polish is used.

Discuss!

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Latios

Latios

written by Uralya

Base Stats

80/90/80/130/110/110​

Latios is well-known as the premier specially offensive Dragon-type in OU, with great typing, offensive stats, STAB moves, and coverage that allow it to break holes and sweep through many teams. Sufficient bulk combined with its unique types allow it to check many prominent offensive threats, such as Landorus, Charizard-Y, Keldeo and Rotom-W, and access to Defog gives it considerable use in a support role. With the new generation, despite the continuation of the Pursuit trap gimmick and the introduction of fairies, Latios still has a sizable niche among the upper echelon of OU.

Life Orb

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power Fire / Earthquake / Surf
- Defog / Roost
​

Latios is right at home with its trademark Life Orb set, allowing for a range of attacks to fire off as necessary while keeping overwhelming power at its disposal. Draco Meteor functions as the main STAB, able to OHKO many neutral targets on offensive teams with bulk that hovers around the base 80-90 HP/80-90 SpD range and break through a significant amount of walls, such as Landorus-T and Slowbro. Psyshock, utilizing its rare ability to target Defense, takes care of Fighting-types like Keldeo and Terrakion, Poison-types like Venusaur, Fairy-types like Clefable and Azumarill, and specially bulky Pokemon like Chansey. The third slot is used to deal with common switch-ins to Latios - Hidden Power Fire covers Steel-, Grass- and Bug-types like Scizor, Ferrothorn, Bisharp and Celebi; Earthquake lands an OHKO on Heatran and a 2HKO on Tyranitar and Bisharp; and Surf gets the OHKO on Landorus and Excadrill and the 2HKO on Heatran, Gliscor, and Tyranitar. The final slot is comprised of Latios' support options. Defog enables hazard clearing for the team, while Roost heightens Latios' longevity, particularly against stall teams - running both alongside its STABs is plausible as well but leaves Latios open to many more switch-ins than normal. The EV spread is basic, taking advantage of an awesome base 110 Speed - 29 HP IVs are used in order to minimize recoil from Life Orb. Alternatively, a Hasty nature and 24 Attack EVs should be used with Earthquake to secure an OHKO on Heatran with Stealth Rock damage.

Choice Scarf

Latios @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog / Hidden Power Fire
- Trick
​

Though its versatility is reduced, Latios can be a great revenge killer upon donning a Choice Scarf, putting its speed above that of almost every boosting sweeper. Draco Meteor and Psyshock again provide the bulk of Latios' power, with the former being the main move for felling targets and the latter covering dealing with targets weak to it or resistant to Draco Meteor. Trick in the last slot allows for mindgames to be played, but its primary use is to get rid of the Choice Scarf against stall teams and cripple their most defensive members. In the third slot, Defog provides the most utility once the Choice Scarf is gone, but Hidden Power Fire can be used as well to cover the multitude of Steel-, Grass- and Bug-type switch-ins. Also viable is Tailwind, a niche supporting move for its team once Latios has done its job or is in a pinch.

Discuss!

 

[DdogTheKing]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Latios

I thought the LO varients carried HP Fighting cause of Bisharps running around.

Could Memento Latios be mentioned as well? I see those every now and again on the ladder on PS. I feel those sets are the ones that screw me over the most haha.

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Latios

I thought the LO variants carried HP Fighting cause of Bisharps running around.
Arguably yes, though it's such a rare carry-on that I didn't feel it deserved a mention. But hey, that's what discussion's for.

Now, coming from 1825 stats from last month, you can see that HP Fighting is barely used at all because of the niche use it has when HP Fire/EQ cover much more while still 2HKOing Bisharp. I will concede that top players I have seen use it to great effect though.

Spoiler

Moves
Draco Meteor 93.398%
Psyshock 89.066%
Defog 63.646%
Hidden Power Fire 24.075%
Roost 23.979%
Earthquake 20.934%
Trick 17.232%
Thunderbolt 8.978%
Surf 8.820%
Recover 8.684%
Memento 6.516%
Calm Mind 4.507%
Ice Beam 4.435%
Light Screen 4.155%
Reflect 4.131%
Other 17.445%

Could Memento Latios be mentioned as well? I see those every now and again on the ladder on PS. I feel those sets are the ones that screw me over the most haha.
Again, discussion ^-^ Dual Screens/Memento Latios can be effective, but it's once more a conditional set. As you can see above, Reflect/LS/Memento are all <7% usage, probably not much more than HP Fighting. It's viable, but I didn't feel it deserving enough either.

Replies in bold. *niche herpderp*

 

[Uralya]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Latios

Aerodactyl

written by Uralya

Base Stats

80/105/65/60/75/130

80/135/85/70/95/150 (Mega)​

Aerodactyl was relegated to being a mere lead in previous generations, but, as with many cases in this generation, it received new life through a Mega Evolution. There is a new dimension to this version of Aerodactyl, with extreme attack power backed by Tough Claws and an expansive movepool to supplement its already fantastic speed. The additional bulk granted by Mega Evolution also allows Aerodactyl to act as an offensive check to many fast Pokemon, like Lopunny, Beedrill, Talonflame and Pinsir. Despite being held in check by priority and Stealth Rock, Aerodactyl can use its newfound strengths to etch out a considerable niche in this metagame.

All-Out Attacker

Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 Atk / 44 Def / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Fire Fang / Earthquake
- Aqua Tail / Ice Fang
​

With such great offenses, a movepool to cover all popular types, and key resistances to handle many top threats, Aerodactyl is the definition of an anti-meta Pokemon. Stone Edge and Aerial Ace form the STAB combination for it, with the former picking off Pokemon like Talonflame, Volcarona, and Pinsir and the latter - boosted by Tough Claws - acting as the main cleaning move. The other two slots are coverage options, with many between them indeed. Fire Fang and Aqua Tail pair nicely together, and as do Earthquake and Ice Fang. Fire Fang covers Steel-types while Aqua Tail takes out Ground- and Rock-types like Tyranitar. Likewise, Earthquake handles Pokemon like Magnezone, Heatran and Manectric, leaving Ice Fang to cover Ground-types like Landorus and Gliscor. Other options include Roost for added longevity; Iron Head for smashing through Altaria, Clefable and Diancie; and Pursuit for trapping Pokemon like Starmie and Gengar for revenge killing. The EV spread allows for maximized attack power while having enough speed to outrun Mega Sceptile and enough bulk to take two Brave Birds from +1 Talonflame after Stealth Rock damage.

Discuss!

 

[Cinesra]

RE: Pokemon of the Week - Aerodactyl

No stall-breaker set?